We recently came across some interesting stats. We’ve all heard that meal portions in restaurants and manufactured foods are getting larger, creating a “sizably” larger America in terms of obesity. One reason may be that manufactured plate sizes have grown from 9 inches circumference in the 1980s to a whopping 12 inches or more. To accommodate our beefier buttocks, sofas that used to be 20” deep on the average in 1978 are now at least 25.”
If you’ve ever seen an Early American bed, or even a circa 1864 Civil War era bed, you’ll notice that people are apparently also getting taller. Today’s mattresses are, on the average, 18 “ thick compared to 9 “ thick in the 1950s. (Maybe this is why those 1950s ad men were “Mad.”)
Here are more eye-opening growth statistics:
· Wine glasses in the 1950s held 5 ounces; today, 18 ounces
· 19” TV screens were all the rage in the 1950s, versus 42”+ versions today
· Houses in the 1950s used to average 1,000 square feet; in 2007, this footage had grown to 2,521 sq. ft. (Even though average lot sizes DROPPED from 10K sq. feet in 1976 to 8K sq. feet in 2007).
· Bath towel manufacturers were forced to enlarge their product to keep up with expanded American girths: the average towel size in 1966 was 24”x 44”; in 2010,
they measure 30”x 56” on the average
Leave us a comment if you can think of other products that have significantly increased in size since post WWII.
